Rice Cake Appetizer Gets Meal Off To A Tasty Start

Vegetarian Cooking

October 17, 1996|By Steve Petusevsky

When I go out for dinner, I like to eat unusual foods I wouldn't think of making at home.

For the past few months, I have been eating a lot of different Asian foods. I really appreciate the diversity of flavors and textures that are found in Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese dishes. The flavors are pure and recognizable.

Traditional ingredients such as spicy chilies, basil, mint, lime and soy work in harmony by blending sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter flavors.

One of my favorite dishes is a comforting appetizer called Baba's Rice Cakes.

I particularly like those served at the Vietnamese restaurant Nam Long in Lauderdale Lakes, and owner Ngoc Le was willing to share her recipe.

These starchy morsels resemble unfilled rice pillows or ravioli that have a really pleasing texture and soak up the flavors of whatever sauce you pour over them.

They are made with rice flour, a staple ingredient in Vietnamese cooking. Rice flour and tapioca flour can be found in Asian grocery stores.

The restaurant serves the little rice pillows with cooked mung beans, fried shallots, green onions and carrots over the top. Ground shrimp are tossed over the pillows as garnish.

A light dipping sauce of rice vinegar and traditional fish sauce or Nuoc Mam is poured over all.

To turn them into an entree, I have served these cakes over sauteed spinach or fine-chopped seasonal vegetables.

Serve with a sprinkling of tamari, rice vinegar, shredded carrots and minced scallions over the top. You can use disposable muffin tins for this recipe.

Baba's Rice Cakes

Yield: About 36 cakes

Ngoc Le of Nam Long in Lauderdale Lakes

1 1/2 cups rice flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour (see note)

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups cold water

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork or whisk with a whip to form a smooth and thick batter that resembles fluffy marshmallow.

3. In a large skillet, place an inverted plate on the bottom. Add 1/2 to 1-inch water. Place muffin tin atop plate being sure water does not overflow into muffin cups. Bring water to a boil over high heat, cover, and let steam about 5 minutes or until cakes are solid and cooked through. Remove tin from skillet and use a fork or spatula to gently lift rice cakes from muffin cups. Repeat until all batter is used.

Recipe note: Tapioca and rice flours can be purchased at natural food stores. You also can make tapioca flour by grinding tapioca in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. If you use this type tapioca flour, increase the water to 2 1/4 cups.